Liverpool holds his new striker. Hugo Ekitike landed in Anfield for a sum that borders on 90 million euros, a huge bet for a player who still has to confirm at the highest level. The Reds bet, convinced by the potential of French and by the vision of their coach, Arne Slot. But what we know less is that this spectacular transfer almost never done. Because in the shadows, the largest rival in Liverpool maneuvered until the last second to have the case to the case.
Ekitike, the categorical “no” at the always rival
This rival is of course Manchester United. According to information from the newspaper The I Paperthe Red Devils tried an offensive of the last chance to divert the player. For them, Ekitike was not a plan B, but their “number one choice” at the center-forward post. They were ready to line up, to outbid. But they encountered a wall: the player himself. Ekitike, already seduced by the Liverpool project, told them that he had “No interest To join Old Trafford. A dry and final refusal.
This attempted “hijacking” speaks volumes about the status that French people acquired. He is no longer just the young talent who exploded in Frankfurt, but one of the most desired attackers on the continent. The fact that two of the biggest English clubs were snatched by proves it. But in the end, it was the sports project, the stability and the dynamics of Liverpool victory that made the difference.
“No interest”: Ekitike's scathing answer to Liverpool's Grand Rival offer
The dangerous game of rivalry
For Manchester United, it's a double failure. Not only did they miss their priority target, but they saw it sign in the sworn enemy. A camouflet which still weakens their position a little more on the transfer market. They reacted too late, with fewer sports arguments to assert (absence of a European cup to compete in particular). A situation that perfectly illustrates their difficulty in competing with the neighbor Honni, on the ground as behind the scenes.
This liar poker game between Rivaux is a Mercato classic. We know the song. Sometimes the interest of a club is born only because its competitor is positioned. This is called mimetic rivalry: you no longer want one thing for its intrinsic qualities, but because the other wants it. In this specific case, it seems that Ekitike was a longtime target for both. But by failing to recruit it, Manchester United only strengthened the symbolic value of its arrival in Liverpool. And that, for Reds fans, is priceless.
